Our story
Vancouver School District was formed in 1852.
Historic
The first school in the Northwest was established right here at Fort Vancouver for the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1832. Vancouver School District was formed in 1852. Vancouver School of Arts and Academics is located in the building that was the second junior high school to open in the state of Washington.
Groundbreaking
Kaiser Shipyards operated in Vancouver to support the efforts of World War II. As families streamed into the community, schools were built as quickly as possible. In the 1990s, a major rebuilding effort replaced or renovated those schools from the 1940s. Computer labs opened, and fiber optic networks connected schools.
Innovative
Vancouver Public Schools pioneered programs of choice. As a pilot site for National Teacher Certification, the district produced seven of the first nationally certified teachers. The National School Boards Association selected Vancouver as a technology visitation site three times—in 1993, 1999 and 2013. Thanks to a community-approved technology levy, students in grades three through 12 will have one-to-one digital learning tools by the year 2017.
Visionary
Over the years we’ve inspired, challenged, urged, supported and charged into unexplored territory. In concert with an informed, engaged community, we’ve developed plans that have produced incredible results. We continue to look ahead.
Our mission
Inspiring Learning.
Growing Community.
Each Student, Every Day.
Historical timeline
Take a step back in time with our interactive historical timeline! Do you have historical information to share? Please email us.
Salmon Creek School was founded by Hester Goddard. In early 1855, residents built a 12- by 14- foot log cabin, Hester was the teacher.
Lake Shore School District dates back to the early 1880s. It wasn’t unusual for children to get distracted by pigs rooting and grunting under the building. A new Lake Shore School was built in 1894 or 1895
Vancouver voters passed a levy, with a vote of 208 to 13, to build a new public school. Central School was built on 13th Street and Franklin. Central School was erected that year at a cost of $22,000.
The first Harney School was erected and named for Lt. General William S. Harney, commander of Vancouver Barracks. The building had four outside entrances, and girls and boys entered through different doors. In 1902 students raised money to buy a bell. Sometimes the bell was pulled too hard and would turn over. Then a youngster had to climb a ladder to the belfry and turn the bell around.
Patrick (Paddy) Hough becomes principal of Columbian School. Hough demonstrated a sincere affection for each pupil. He passed on to his students a deep and abiding love for learning. For him, each paper he marked was a window into a child’s mind. Paddy’s spirit lives today at Hough Elementary School. Students annually participate in the Paddy Hough Parade on March 17 in honor of Paddy Hough’s birthday.
Felida School District was established. The original school still stands on Northwest 36th Avenue.
Vancouver’s first brick schoolhouse, Arnada Elementary School, opened in 1910 on H Street between 25th Street and East Fourth Plain. The name was derived from the names of three Vancouver women: Margaret Ranns, Anna Eastham, and Ida Elwell, whose husband platted the Arnada Park Addition. The building was renovated in 1952-53 after the fire marshal had declared it unsafe. It continued as an elementary school for seven years, then as an annex to Shumway Junior High. It was demolished in 1966.
After enrollment in Vancouver schools increased 10 percent a year for six years, voters approved a $100,000 bond election to build a new high school on the corner of 26th and Main. Vancouver High School, a two-story, red brick building, opened March 3, 1913. The first graduating class had 44 students.
Vancouver was the second district in Washington to build a junior high school. It was the vision of Charles Shumway, 35-year superintendent of Vancouver School District. On August 28, 1928, the board took Shumway to the construction site and unveiled the inscription cast in concrete across the school’s front entrance. The superintendent stood there speechless and with tears in his eyes as he read Shumway Junior High School. Shumway is now the home of Vancouver School of Arts and Academics.
During the high-growth World War II years, MacArthur Elementary School was built south of the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Blandford Drive. Named in honor of General Douglas MacArthur, the school opened in the fall of 1943. As the population continued to soar, more space was added in 1943, 1945, and 1948. The 1957-58 school year was the last year of operation for MacArthur Elementary. It was torn down in 1959.
When John Rogers Elementary School opened its doors in the fall of 1945, it was known as the Fourth Plain Village School. It was built to help relieve overcrowded Washington School. During its first year, the art teacher and older students painted a mural of Washington state during Gov. John Rogers’ lifetime. Rogers closed as an elementary school in 1992 and then housed several other schools during construction projects, as well as district offices.
Ogden Meadows Junior-Senior High School
In 1945, 15 additional classrooms were added to the building at a cost of $147,978. On August 14, 1945, the school board designated the school as a junior-senior high school. During the 1945-46 school year the building housed students of grades seven through eleven with senior students matriculating to Vancouver High School. For the 1945-46 school year Julian Karp was principal, assisted by Mrs. Enes Dalton, girls’ advisor, and William D. Lothspeich, boys’ advisor.
For the 1946-47 school year, Ogden Meadows became a full-fledged high school consisting of grades ten, eleven and twelve. The first annual commencement exercises were held on June 5, 1947, with 74 students qualifying for diplomas.
On July 21, 1948, Ogden Meadows High School was virtually destroyed by fire. Later a 16-year-old boy confessed to arson.
In 1953 Lewis Junior High School became the third junior high in the district. The school first opened in 1943 as Bagley Downs Elementary, but was renamed Lewis and Clark Elementary School in 1946. Soon after, it was shortened to Lewis Elementary School. After serving as Lewis Junior High for 33 years, the school closed in 1986. The remodeled building is now the site of the Jim Parsley Center, housing administrative offices, a community center, the Free Clinic, and the Boys and Girls Club.
Columbia River High School opened on Sept. 4, 1962. The school operated as a junior high and high school until 1965 when Jason Lee Junior High opened.
A group of Washington Elementary School youngsters leave their classes for the last time Friday, January 8, 1965. The school was ordered closed by district 37 officials after word that the structure would be unsafe if high winds or earthquake should strike.
On April 5, a tornado hit Peter S. Ogden Elementary, destroying the 1955-era building and sending 90 students and three staff to the hospital. Students in the gym were literally blown down the hall or outside the building. The roof was torn off the media center, leaving a heap of rubble. Students from nearby Fort Vancouver High School rushed over to help.
Demolition of the old Fort Vancouver High School, circa 1913, begins in 1972-73, nearly 10 years after the building was declared unsafe. Tearing down the old high school was unpopular with many citizens, who filed a court order to stop it. A judge overruled the order. Final stages of the demolition are completed in 1977.
HOSTS (Help One Student to Succeed) begins when Vancouver teachers develop the concept of a reading lab with volunteer mentors from the community and a single reading instructor. The HOSTS organization becomes a for-profit corporation in 1984 and expands to hundreds of communities around the U.S.
Dr. James Parsley is named superintendent. During his 22-year career, Parsley leads the district to national recognition for its accomplishments including technology in the classroom, magnet schools and programs of choice, partnerships and patron donations, and 35 construction or renovation projects.
The first computer lab is piloted at Washington Elementary School. The pilot’s success in raising student achievement leads to computer learning centers in all elementary and middle schools.
The National School Boards Association honors Vancouver Public Schools as one of three pace-setting districts in the country for the use of educational technology.
The Center for Educational Leadership opens as the district’s professional development center. Vancouver Public Schools is one of 24 sites in the nation and the only district on the west coast to be a field test site for National Board Certification for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Vancouver School District began offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, a rigorous pre-college course of study for highly motivated high school students. Located at Columbia River High School, IB is a magnet program open to students throughout the district.
Washington Elementary School’s 60 sixth-graders are announced as the first “I Have Dream” class in Southwest Washington. Local individuals and families each pledge $100,000 over a 10-year period to provide mentoring and support and guarantee college educations for students who work hard.
Discovery Middle School opens in 1995 to replace Shumway Middle School, which was converted to an arts and academics magnet school. Discovery earns several national awards for its innovative design elements, including a distributed media center and a “toolbox” area for project-based learning.
First magnet school opens—Vancouver School of Arts and Academics. The school is one of five selected nationwide to receive a $250,000 research grant from the College Board and the Getty Center for Education in the Arts.
To ease overcrowding in the district’s north end, Skyview High School opens in the fall of 1997. The school’s national award-winning design includes applied learning areas such as marketplace and a food court. Skyview also houses a Science, Math and Technology magnet program.
Hough Community Pool opens at Hough Elementary School. Paul Christensen, a local businessman who grew up in the Hough neighborhood, provides funding for construction of the pool, which is operated by the City of Vancouver.
The Propstra Baseball Stadium, located on the Hudson’s Bay High School campus, is dedicated on May 28, 1998. George and Carolyn Propstra donated $1.1 million to build the stadium.
Thanks to a gift of $2.5 million from George and Carolyn Propstra, the Propstra Aquatic Center opens in 1999.
Vancouver Public Schools and Hewlett-Packard Co. announce a new partnership to co-develop technology solutions for personalized learning in a connected community. The venture, called “Cooltown @ School,” includes a pilot project in three classrooms at Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary where every student has a laptop computer with access to assignments and educational resources online.
Governor Gary Locke and hundreds of guests attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Jim Parsley Education, Family and Community Center. Located at the former Lewis Junior High site, the center is possible thanks to a $5 million donation from George and Carolyn Propstra. It is named for Superintendent Jim Parsley in recognition of his leadership and advocacy for young people.
Vancouver Public Schools celebrates 150 years. The district is older than the city of Vancouver and the state of Washington.
The district’s first Dual Language program (English/Spanish) begins at Sarah J. Anderson Elementary School. The Dual Language Program is a challenging academic program designed to provide instruction to students in two languages—English and Spanish. The goal is to develop literacy in both languages by the fifth grade.
Dr. Steven Webb becomes superintendent and VPS Board of Directors adopts his ambitious new strategic plan, developed in concert with district employees, current and former students, parents and community, agency and business leaders. Over the next five years, Design II leads to expansion of educational program choices, improvements in instructional quality, new applications of technology, growth in early learning opportunities, safety enhancements, and partnerships that mobilize resources and move barriers to learning. Learn more at www.vansd.org/StrategicPlanTimeline
Washington Elementary School starts the Walking School Bus program. Students walk to their designated bus stops and wait for a group of students, volunteers and parents to pick them up. Together the group walks to school. The walking school bus is a program designed to help students get to school safely and arrive on time.
Spanish Immersion Program starts at Harney Elementary. The Spanish Language Learning Program is an academically challenging and enriching program for developing linguistic proficiency in Spanish and English.
The Chinese Immersion Program begins in the fall for students entering kindergarten at Ben Franklin Elementary School. The Chinese Immersion Program is an academically challenging and enriching program for developing linguistic proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and English.
Washington Elementary School marks its 100th anniversary this year. The school opened in 1912 with a one-room portable building on an acre of cleared land at 29th and S streets. The first teacher, Miss Clara McCall, was hired in February 1912 and paid $55 per month.
The district passes its first technology levy, with nearly 62.5 percent of voters supporting the implementation of flexible learning environments that feature one-to-one technology. Over the next six years, teachers and every student in grades 3-12 will have access to digital learning devices. Technology levy funds also will provide sustained professional development for teachers, curated digital content, a learning management system, computer lab upgrades, and standard classroom technology updates.
The weLearn 1:1 rollout begins at Alki Middle School, where sixth-graders receive iPads to use at school and home.
Kindergarten Jump Start, a free school-readiness program, was offer at all 21 elementary schools. The program sets the stage for student success.
Vancouver iTech Preparatory becomes first VPS STEM Lighthouse School. The science, technology, engineering and math—or STEM—school is one of six statewide designated as STEM Lighthouse Schools by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Along with the honor, each school also receives a $20,000 grant that will promote and develop STEM education, including technical assistance and advice for other elementary, middle and high schools that are creating their own STEM environments.
Thanks to a bond measure that voters approved in February 2017, Ogden Elementary School was completely rebuilt. The new school opened on August 27, 2019.
Remote learning 2.0 kicks off the 2020-21 school year
The school year began in full remote learning for all students, based on school reopening guidelines issued by the Washington Department of Health.
Planning for the opening of Vancouver Innovation, Technology and Arts Elementary School is beginning to take shape. The new elementary school is set to open next fall; however, due to an enrollment decline across the district, the school is going to operate for the first year as a learning and teaching lab.
Thank you, voters
The education and operations levy passed with 57.12 percent support. Thank you for always putting our children first.
Now, hear it from the students you’ve impacted directly: